Team LRT 1 braves trip on Baclaran Day

Wednesday is Baclaran Church Day and is supposedly a heavy day for LRT 1 commuters but my teammates Tsai Montegrande videographer Izah Morales and I still braved our way to finish the Rush-Hour Commute Day 3 race.

Tsai, Izah and I agreed to meet up at the LRT Baclaran station at exactly 8 a.m. First in the scene was Tsai, followed by Izah and then me who arrived 5 minutes to 8 a.m. The ticket line was surprisingly not that long and we managed to get our tickets in just a minute.

As we climbed the stairs going to the Baclaran platform, we noticed the terminal roof needed some repairs.

By 8:02 a.m. we boarded our train. All seats were taken as we alighted the second to the last car of the train. Our train is also in need of repairs as we notice not all the lights are working. It’s also warm inside but then we thought it’s probably because of the volume of commuters.

More people came in at the Edsa station. An LRT security guard can be heard in the background shouting “Next train” to the other passengers who weren’t able to board the train. He then signals to the driver it’s OK to close all doors. More passengers board the train at Libertad and Gil Puyat stations. A number of people are now standing and holding on to the safety rails.

Volume of passengers begins to thin out as we approached Vito Cruz station.

The commuters are a hodgepodge of students going to the University Belt area, laborers, Baclaran churchgoers and others. Some are reading newspapers, others texting and a few are talking to their companions. Tsai is seated at my left while a 30-something man is mildly snoring at my right. Izah is busy taking footage of people and the LRT.

Approaching the United Nations terminal, we get a gloomy and foggy (probably because of the pollution) view of the Luneta Park. The LRT driver announces we’re already at United Nations. It sounded like he said it from inside a can.

More commuters get off at Carriedo station probably to go to Quiapo Church or to go DBD hunting, Tsai and I thought.

Old dilapidated buildings and movie houses can be seen along the stretch of Rizal Avenue as we approach Tayuman station.

We thought we’re on our last station as the train slows down. We checked the LRT map at the back of the single-ride ticket but it’s the third to the last station we’re approaching --- R. Papa station. The train took 4 minutes to reach R. Papa.

It was 8:34 a.m. in my watch as we finally arrived in Monumento. On the other side of the platform was a massive volume of commuters. We breathe a sigh of relief.

We’ve traversed 18 stations stretching 15 kilometers in 34 minutes without the unbelievable traffic and deadly pollution on a Wednesday. And we finished first! Baclaran Day is not that bad.

Written by Tere Cruz

Posted by : Erwin Oliva

Team CAR finds out the cheapest way from Baclaran to Monumento

What's the fastest and cheapest way to get to Monumento from Baclaran on a congested Baclaran day?

The Car Team comprised of a four-car convoy (representing four varying economic sectors), took one hour to complete the 16-km stretch paralleling the first LRT line (Baclaran to Monumento), traversing Roxas Boulevard, Burgos Avenue, McArthur Bridge going to Sta. Cruz, Manila, Abad Santos and Rizal Avenue. Numerous choke points, such as the stoplights at nearly every intersection along with the unpredictable jeepneys, slowed the team down.

Though the whole morning was cloudy, it didn't rain.

The fuel consumption estimate (using the rough full tank-run-full tank method) for the Mercedes Benz S-Class (3.5 liter V6 engine) for the 16-km stretch was about P212 to P219 (consuming 3.66 liters of gasoline). The 1.3-liter Toyota Vios consumed about P50 (.84 liters). The Toyota Prius hybrid car (electric-gasoline engine) consumed P56 to P58 (.97 liters-surprisingly more than the Vios), and a 1.1-liter Chana Multicab needed 2.10 liters of gasoline, or P120 to P126 at prevailing pump prices.

The average speed for the entire run was 16 kph.

The four cars varied as much in price as in appearance. The P8-million to P10-million Mercedes Benz S350 sedan and the P2-million Toyota Prius (price without tax breaks yet) completely shielded the driver and its passengers from the harsh realities of Manila streets. The P245,000 Chana Multicab sans air-conditioning, however, treated its driver and passenger completely the opposite. The most "normal" of the four-the entry level version of Toyota Vios (priced at P575,000)-provided some creature comforts-but the driver still had to work for it a bit with the manual transmission and windows.

As the saying goes, You get what you pay for. By Tessa Salazar

Posted by : Erwin Oliva

Team LRT 1 wins Day 3 of 'Rush Hour Commute'

MAKATI City, Philippines -- The last leg of the "Rush Hour Commute" ends with Team LRT 1 crossing the finish line first from Baclaran in Pasay City to Monumento in Caloocan City.

Composed of Tsai Montegrande and Tere Cruz of the Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) and Izah Morales of INQUIRER.net, Team LRT1 experienced a fairly smooth ride from start to end. It took them 34 minutes to finish the race at P15 per passenger.

The Rush Hour Commute involves four teams composed of volunteers from the PDI and INQUIRER.net taking the train, bus, jeepney, taxi or car across three routes in Metro Manila during the morning rush hour from August 4 to 6. The concept of the race is to determine the cost and time spent getting through pre-selected routes in Metro Manila. For Day 3, the teams started from Baclaran in Pasay City to Monumento in Caloocan.

Tessa Salazar and Maricris Tamolang of the PDI and Alex Villafania of INQUIRER.net took a car and finished second after Team LRT. Standing at second place after switching from one vehicle to another, Team CAR reported to have spent P215 on gas after consuming a total of 4.43 kilometers per liter for the 17 kilometers traveled.

Team TAXI, composed of Ken del Rosario from the PDI and Janie Octia of INQUIRER.net came in third despite experiencing a slight delay in hailing a cab at EDSA corner Taft Avenue.The team reported that the only major gridlock was on Quirino Avenue and the only difficulty encountered was catching a cab at the corner of EDSA and Taft since few cabs pass through the area. Nevertheless, after the fourth attempt, Team TAXI managed to get a cab and spent P175 for the 56-minute trip.

Team JEEPNEY on the other hand, finished last and unhappy.

Composed of Fran Gumapac and Poch Concepcion of the PDI and Lawrence Casiraya of INQUIRER.net,the team was struck by one misfortune after another with numerous struggles they faced as they experienced firsthand the difficulty of taking this form of public transportation.They started off waiting for a jeepney traveling on the Mabini-Monumento route. After a policeman indicated they should have been looking for an "MCU" ride (a rare ride to begin with), they changed strategies and took a jeepney to Harrison Plaza.

With jeepneys reeking of combustion smoke, dust getting in their eyes, the deafening vehicle horns blaring and the wailing of street vendors, Team JEEPNEY concluded that "no sane person" would dare take the jeepney from Baclaran to Monumento.Team JEEPNEY finished in two hours and 10 minutes and spending P25.20 each.

Accounts of the race, photos and videos of the volunteers are posted on the Rush Hour Commute website. The results of the race will also be summarized in the Talk of the Town section of the Philippine Daily Inquirer on Aug. 10.

Posted by : Erika Tapalla

TEAM JEEP REACHES FINISH LINE LAST!

Touchdown. Total time spent on the jeep: 2 hours and 10 minutes, Team JEEP says. Team members spent P25.20 each. Team JEEP member Lawrence Casiraya says he saw 15 Jolibee signs throughout the trip. The team is now taking its much-deserved "Jolibee break." Team JEEP is composed of Fran Gumapac and Poch Concepcion of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and Casiraya of INQUIRER.net.

Posted by : Erwin Oliva

Team JEEP sees frenetic Caloocan

Moving from Manila to Caloocan, Team JEEP says scene changes from somber to frenetic. But Caloocan is tolerably cool to irritatingly polluted.

Posted by : Erwin Oliva

'Most grueling ride' Team JEEP says

Team JEEP says the trip from Baclaran to Monumento is probably the "most grueling ride" they have experienced.

Posted by : Erwin Oliva

Team JEEP stuck in traffic

Team JEEP is stuck in traffic going to Monumento. The team sees scooters squeezing themselves in-between cars and jeepneys, zipping among the vehicles like flies amid the morning traffic.

Posted by : Erwin Oliva

Team JEEP notices the mid-morning scene in Tayuman

Now in Tayuman, Team JEEP says traffic is still manageable. The team observes the mid-morning scene: Mothers carrying their babies, pedicabs bravely criss-crossing beside jeepneys and cars and people going about their business.

Posted by : Erwin Oliva

Team JEEP approaches Sta. Cruz

Team JEEP approaches Sta. Cruz, which is known for backbreaking traffic. The hum of the LRT line can be heard amid the cacophony of "beep-beeps" of the vehicles, vendors wailing and distant chatter.

Posted by : Erwin Oliva

Team JEEP reaches Kalaw

Team JEEP reaches Kalaw and Luneta Park. Team also sees a lot of the "Ped Xing" signs, which means "pedestrian crossing."

Posted by : Erwin Oliva